In order to promote and advertise their products, companies in the cosmetic, fragrance and toiletry industries frequently prepare samples of their products for distribution to the public.
In the cosmetic and toiletry industries, these samples are often in the form of packets or pouches which are filled with a small portion of the product, which is in many cases a fluent or flowable material, and these packets are then distributed either at the sales counters of retail outlets or as an enclosure in mailings to particular segments of the general public. In the fragrance industry, samples of fragrances have in the past been packaged in small glass or plastic vials attached to a thin cardboard jacket. These samples are also distributed at the sales counters of retail outlets, but are difficult to distribute in mailings because of the fragile nature of the glass or plastic vials.
Additionally, cosmetic lines often include a multitude of items which come in liquid, solid and cream or lotion form. In order to provide samples of more than one product, distributors presently have to prepare individual samples and hand them out at sales counters separately, even where they desire particular product samples to be associated with one another. Therefore, distributors cannot be assured that the samples which they intend to be distributed together are actually being so distributed.
Thus, there exists the need for a package by which samples of more than one product can be distributed in association with one another. Also, there exists the need for a package in which vials containing a sample of a product can be reliably distributed through the mail without being broken by mechanical shock and handling. In particular, there is a need for packages which can distribute samples in these manners at low cost.